my first garden

[vaporizer]

this year i got laid-off work so i decided to occupy my time with a garden. this is my first season. i made a makeshift garden on the side of my house to get my feet wet in gardening. i'll be moving most of it to the back yard, but i am still working on finishing the backyard. it's all rock right now, but i will be installing some edging and maybe a pond later on. i made free standing planter boxes because i rent the home and didn't want to mess with the yard to much. please feel free to make comments.

growing:
tomatoes- sweet 100's, romas, cherry, cupid, hawaiian tropics, yellow pear, and a mystery one.
peppers - serranos, jalapeno, red bell, banana pepper
zucchini
blue lake beans
herbs

 

[DeborahJane]

Looks great. I really like the idea of moveable planter boxes...very neat.

 

[Greenhorn]

You really did a nice job, functional and attractive! The only thing I might suggest is the tomatoes might be a little close? I do see most of them are smaller sized tomatoes, but boy once they get going the actual plants can get quite large (tall and broad). That said, I still over plant my little raised bed every year.

 

[DeborahJane]

You really did a nice job, functional and attractive! The only thing I might suggest is the tomatoes might be a little close? I do see most of them are smaller sized tomatoes, but boy once they get going the actual plants can get quite large (tall and broad). That said, I still over plant my little raised bed every year.

I do too. I wonder if next tomato season I remember to leave some space.

 

[vaporizer]

wow, thanks for all the replies. next season, i will plant them with a little more room. i when i was planting, i read somewhere to plant them close to each other to help with shading for desert gardening. i was so afraid of the sun on my plants, but i learned from some other local gardener to not be afraid of the sun. it's my friend. the box with all the cages i didn't expect them to all take as well as they have. i had such a bad soil(local rock yard, ) to start, i spent the first two weeks carefully amending the soil with organics and some better soil. i thought for sure they would hate me and go the way of the wind. i must have sweet talked them enough while playing with the soil and they decided to stay. it seemed like within a week of me fixing the soil around a plant, it started growing like gangbusters. the second box is kind of a tester box with some left over plants that i thought i would be using to replace failed ones. i don't know what is planted where in that one. half of them in that box have fruit. thanks again for the replies and i will post some updates.

 

[Greenhorn]

Yes updates

 

[grouie]

That must be some happiness. Gardening does that. It does that to me. . Are those wooden containers?

 

[vaporizer]

That must be some happiness. Gardening does that. It does that to me. . Are those wooden containers?

doug fir. some are 11 inches deep, and the others are 17 inches deep.

 

[claudine]

It's a beautiful garden!! I love your free standing planter boxes, they look neat and elegant. You're doing a great job!

 

[IcyBC]

Oh I love your planter boxes, and I wish to have some made for me! They look just wonderful and give ample of space to grow vegetables or flowers. This is a fabulous idea for people with small space dwelling. I can't wait to see your progress!

 

[ChanellG]

I would hardly call that setup "makeshift!" You have quite an elaborate raised garden going, especially for someone just starting out the first time. How did you decide how you wanted to lay it out and what plants you wanted to put in?

 

[vaporizer]

wow, thanks everyone. the boxes are just 2x12 and 2x4 doug fir. i am a carpenter so building them is very easy. i would have put the beds on the ground, but there is 6-8 inches of rock and a bad case of crab grass. i rent and didn't want to mess with the RV parking space. if i owned the home, i would have installed a cinder wall where the trellis plants are and cut a hole in the north wall to access from the back yard. looking into the space is facing north. pics below where taken at 7am this morning. i would like to get more morning sun in there, but the neighbor won't let me move here house

It's a beautiful garden!! I love your free standing planter boxes, they look neat and elegant. You're doing a great job!

thank you very much. it must have just turned out that way. the flowers are there to attract more bees as i didn't have any on the property for 3 years.

Oh I love your planter boxes, and I wish to have some made for me! They look just wonderful and give ample of space to grow vegetables or flowers. This is a fabulous idea for people with small space dwelling. I can't wait to see your progress!

i bet you could find a friend with a circular saw and a drill. took me about 30 min to assemble with the wife helping. 15 min to cut the pieces. super easy. i lined the bottom of the boxes with landscaping fabric so the dirt wasn't directly on the wood and would still breathe. i like that i don't have to bend over or squat to work on the plants or soil, or pruning, or looking for pest. just sitting having a glass of tea, they are at eye level. i might need a stool later on, but i don't think they will get that tall as i'm sure i'll mess something up along the way. thanks again for the nice words.

I would hardly call that setup "makeshift!" You have quite an elaborate raised garden going, especially for someone just starting out the first time. How did you decide how you wanted to lay it out and what plants you wanted to put in?

i call it makeshift only because i will be moving all but two boxes to the back yard next warm season here. i will use the current area for herbs and leaf greens and maybe some asparagus. i choose the layout on the advise of a friend. he told me that tomatoes don't like the late day sun here in the desert and that peppers don't have an issue with heat. so i planted the tomatoes on the west side of the area and the peppers on the east side. after that, i just planted anywhere. i am going to plant some melons in the front yard on the desert landscaping since i was able to get the drip irrigation working again.

 

[zigs]

Looking good

Must be a challenge in those temperatures.

 

[vaporizer]

Looking good

Must be a challenge in those temperatures.

i'll let you know in august. stay tuned for updates.

 

[ChanellG]

i would like to get more morning sun in there, but the neighbor won't let me move here house

Pffffffffffffftttttttttttttt!